{"id":273482,"date":"2026-06-09T15:03:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T07:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hong-kong.afssite.afs.org\/?p=273482"},"modified":"2026-06-09T15:23:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T07:23:21","slug":"argentina-journey-from-feeling-lost-to-opening-her-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afs.hk\/en\/argentina-journey-from-feeling-lost-to-opening-her-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentina Journey: From Feeling Lost to Opening Her Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"
2025-26 Hong Kong to Argentina, <\/b>Renee Chau<\/b><\/p>\n
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\u201cOn the last day of the term, I finally couldn\u2019t hold back my tears. The local students immediately came around and hugged me tightly. They told me, \u2018We love you. You\u2019re such a wonderful person.\u2019 In that moment, I felt a kind of understanding and love I\u2019d never experienced before.\u201d Renee recalled.<\/p>\n
When she first arrived in Argentina, she was still a girl who questioned her own decision\u2014overwhelmed by language barriers and cultural differences, and having countless moments where she wanted to run back to Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
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The Fading \u201cHoneymoon\u201d Filter<\/strong><\/p>\n
In her first month in Argentina, everything seemed beautiful. Everything felt fresh, exciting, and full of colour. Renee shared that at the beginning, she viewed the world through a romantic \u201ctraveller\u201d mindset\u2014wandering through the streets of different cities, walking on unfamiliar roads, and trying as many local foods as she could.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people were warm and friendly. Many times, they would come over and talk to me. Every smile felt like they were telling me I was welcome. Then, I was filled with curiosity rather than fear. I even felt like everything was easier than I had imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
But as time went on, that invisible \u201choneymoon\u201d filter began to fade. Argentina\u2019s changing weather repeatedly made her sick, and her physical weakness gradually broke through her mental defences. The stress from the language barrier became heavier than she had expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo many times, I couldn\u2019t understand what they were saying. Every day, my brain had to process a huge amount of new information, a new culture, and completely unfamiliar ways of interacting with people. That kind of mental exhaustion left me drained. Sometimes, I felt like my head was going to explode\u2014I had no space left to breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the face of the frustration of not being able to fully fit in, Renee\u2014being a typically reserved Hong Kong student\u2014chose her most natural protective mechanism: silence. She kept herself withdrawn.<\/p>\n
In sleepless nights after nights, the overwhelming sense of disconnection pulled her into a deep spiral of self-doubt. She kept asking herself, \u201cWhy did I leave Hong Kong, where I felt safe and understood? Why did I come all this way just to suffer?\u201d She also kept missing Hong Kong\u2014missing the comfort of familiarity, the unspoken understanding of being understood without having to explain, and the people who truly knew her.<\/p>\n
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A Turning Point: \u201cThree Small Goals Every Day\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n
Pain forces you to stop\u2014and to face your own purpose. Renee realised that if she let her emotions keep taking over, this precious year would pass by in vain. She realized she had forgotten her original intention. \u201cI forgot why I wanted to grow, why I wanted to become more independent, and why I wanted to know myself better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renee learned that adaptation takes time, and growth is never a smooth or easy journey. So she started pulling herself back step by step. Every day, she set three simple goals, such as:<\/p>\n
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using Spanish to say one sentence,<\/li>\n
even when she was afraid, to start a conversation actively,<\/li>\n
and recording one small good thing from the day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This \u201csmall steps, fast action\u201d method slowly helped her start moving forward again. Her wounded heart began to work\u2014better day by day.<\/p>\n
But Renee stressed that what truly brought her out of the dark wasn\u2019t just her own bravery. It was the love and warmth she received from her friends in Argentina and her host family.<\/p>\n
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Connections Beyond Language<\/strong><\/p>\n
Hong Kong culture tends to keep personal distance and expresses emotions in a more subtle way. Argentina, on the other hand, is a country known for intense warmth\u2014where physical closeness and sincere emotion are common. They showed her love through their actions. Renee\u2019s host family knew she loved animals, so they specially took her to learn horse riding on the open grasslands\u2014letting her feel clearly that \u201cshe was valued and understood.\u201d Her friends worried she might feel lonely, so they invited her to join various gatherings and activities, always including her and pulling her into their circles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough them, I gradually understood that human connection doesn\u2019t always need words. Love and kindness really can cross any barrier. Language was never the biggest problem. The real issue was my own heart\u2014I kept it closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that kind of wholehearted warmth, the cold defenses she once built finally melted away. Renee joked that she used to be someone who really wasn\u2019t comfortable with physical contact. But in Argentina, she gradually became someone who could hug others naturally. She discovered a simple and genuine kind of happiness\u2014one that belongs uniquely to that place.<\/p>\n
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Full of Gratitude<\/strong><\/p>\n
Although this exchange journey was never easy, Renee\u2014without even realising it\u2014went through a transformation that exceeded her expectations. The people and moments that once made her feel like she didn\u2019t belong, eventually became the ones she loved most and was most reluctant to leave behind.<\/p>\n
Looking back, Renee feels truly grateful that she stepped out of her comfort zone. What Argentina taught her was more than a new language. It became a life lesson she never learned at school: learning to accept her vulnerability, learning to take care of her emotions, and choosing to face challenges\u2014rather than escaping from them.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, I can honestly say: I feel incredibly happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
2025-26 Hong Kong to Argentina, Renee Chau \u201cOn the last day of the term, I finally couldn\u2019t hold back my…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":479,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,1,190],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-273482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-student","category-uncategorized","category-whats-new"],"yoast_head":"\n
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